Thursday, December 7, 2017

How are you faring this holiday season? Are you feeling the magic yet? I had a super productive day yesterday which is a good thing because these past few days have not been as productive as I had hoped. I finally looked at the calendar and started counting...19 days until Christmas! Seven days before the first of our clan comes home for the holidays. I swigged two cups of coffee and felt the holiday magic. I love a productive day!

Tuesday, November 28, 2017

I feel like that woman who stands on a street corner with traffic whizzing past her wondering if she should look left of right...because she has forgotten which country she is in. I started the month in Sydney, spent the mid-part of it in Hong Kong and am finishing it off in New Hampshire. All the while I have been thinking of writing about the answer to the BIG question I asked in my last post...deciding which winter scene to use for our 2017 Christmas photo. Just when I thought the decision was done and dusted... I arrived in New Hampshire to this...a blanket of fresh snow and more potential photo choices. I honestly couldn't think of a better welcome home gift from Mother Nature. If I could have wrapped my arms around her and Tahilla Farm I would have given them both the biggest squeeze...just so happy to be home!

Friday, October 27, 2017

I am the first to say no, no, no when it comes to seeing Christmas decoration in stores in October. So it must seem odd that I am asking for your advice on picking a Tahilla Farm Christmas card photo in October. But I am. ;)

Wednesday, October 18, 2017

Dear Friends,It's been wild here in Sydney these past weeks. Since I last wrote, Mr. H flew into Sydney for a week and flew back out to Hong Kong. We had a wonderful time, celebrating a wedding anniversary, catching up with family and friends, exploring and discovering four more Australian Aboriginal paintings to add to our Tahilla Farm art collection. I love them all but am particularly excited by the one below. It measures 4' by 6.7' and will hopefully hang above our kitchen island. We have been wanting something special for that space and as soon as it graced our presence we knew it was the one.

Tuesday, September 12, 2017

Yesterday was one of those surreal days....filled with messages that makes one stop and ponder this thing called life....and art. It was a fabulous day for two reasons...one it was my birthday and I celebrated it with some very special friends, the ones Mr. H calls my 'heart friends'...those women who I hold near and dear no matter where I am in the world. The second reason for the wealth of 'fabulousness' was all the wonderful birthday messages and responses to my last blog post Pearls of Wisdom...on turning 60. Thank you all! Seek and you shall learn!

Thursday, September 7, 2017

I thought that turning sixty would be big deal but maybe not as big a deal as turning forty. For three years prior to my big 4-0...I told anyone I could...that I would be turning FORTY soon. It usually started with I WILL BE 40 IN THREE YEARS!...and so on and so on until it actually happened and then there was peace. I had ten years until I hit FIFTY...and then at 42 I had a baby and I had something new to fret over...being an 'older mom'...and turning 50 in eight years. There was no end to it.

Sunday, July 16, 2017

Life has been full since I last checked in! I am writing in between packing for a trip to Botswana and Zambia. This time last year, our daughter, Miss Claire, was packing for her two year assignement with the Peace Corp in Botswana. One year down and we are on our way to visit with her for the first time! I am so excited, I am busting! We are heading out on a two week safari to Zambia. I took the photo above on a previous safari through Botswana in 2005. I am hoping to have the same luck this time around. Fingers crossed!

Monday, May 22, 2017

You know how I said I do not like having my photo taken? Well, on special occasions, I will attempt the odd selfie, especially as it makes my daughters laugh..when mom does her mom smile. ;) I had a good reason for this one...I wanted to show you my latest purchase, the 'Glenmore' hat. The story follows...

Sunday, May 14, 2017

I hope you had a lovely weekend and Mother's Day! I spent the day in Sydney with two of my four children, daughter #1, Miss Christine and son #2, Connor. On Mother's Day I caught up via Facetime with son #1, Patrick and daughter #2, Miss Claire, who jumped in with a photo from Botswana to wish me a Happy Mother's Day. Mr. H checked in from Hong Kong making my day complete. It was a cool..ish, rainy autumn day...we cooked, talked, read and relaxed together. I knew my day was on the right track when Connor suggested we watch a 'mom' movie together, Under the Tuscan Sun. I have trained him well! I love hanging out, something I rarely get to do these days...it is the perfect time for letting your thoughts run away from you.

Monday, April 17, 2017

Thinking about life at No. 43 with my velvet slippers
from Shanghai Tang here

Greetings from No. 43 in Hong Kong!

I am in Hong Kong for two weeks continuing my efforts to set up a life in our apartment at No. 43. Shortly after my departure in March I made an executive decision, or rather, an executive demand to hire an interior decorator. Given that my time in Hong Kong will be limited in 2017, it is near impossible for me to complete all the tasks before me in two weeks. Fortunately, we found someone to help us. Curtains, light fixtures, carpets, re-upholstery, art...it's all on the list. With decorating underway it allows me to focus on spending quality time with family...and carry on with my travel notes.

Saturday, March 25, 2017

Before musing on the flow of life...I want to thank you all for the creative and clever names you suggested for our 'perch' in Hong Kong. We loved them all! They continue to come in and as soon as I am back in Hong Kong I am going to sit and contemplate each and every one!

Wednesday, March 1, 2017

The day begins at #43... sun rising to the east, behind the mountain ridge

Good Morning, Good Evening and Hello!
Well, here we are again, on the Expat Express to Hong Kong! Many of you have been with me for the long expat haul, from our first days in Australia (pre-blog) to last days in New Zealand ( started blog) to life in England, Vietnam, Tahilla Farm and now Hong Kong. All I can say is thank you, thank you, thank you..from the bottom of my heart and up, it is full of appreciation!

Monday, January 23, 2017

I have stopped and
started this post so many times in the past weeks... a loss for words,
until now. Many of you would have seen on my Instagram post that our dear Tika
passed away peacefully. Her 14.7 adventurous years had come to an end
at Tahilla Farm in New Hampshire…a long way from her birthplace in Melbourne,
Australia. We all take comfort that she is resting with us and is now part of
the Tahilla Farm story.